Norfolk’s night sky ranked as one of the best in the UK

A new report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has ranked Norfolk as one of the best places in the UK to enjoy an unspoilt nightscape.

In one of the most detailed studies to date, satellite data was used to show the impact of light pollution to help guide people to their nearest area of peaceful darkness.

While the south east of England is fairly illuminated, Norfolk was placed as the eighth darkest county in England, with north Norfolk among the top 4% of areas in the UK, coming 13th out of 320.

Kate Dougan is a community officer at the Norfolk Coast Partnership which helped fund the research, and speaking about it, she said:

“The Norfolk coast is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and this work shows that this designation has helped to protect tranquillity - more than half of England’s pristine dark skies are in areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks.

“The opportunity to experience the tranquillity of dark skies and stunning views of astronomical sites and events, including the Northern Lights, is a lesser known but important part of the area’s natural beauty.”

The interactive maps will now be used to work with local communities and councils to protect and improve the quality of darkness.

This is great news for stargazers, meaning next time you stay in our holiday cottages in North Norfolk, you can view the unspoiled dark skies on offer and enjoy the celestial beauty for yourself!